Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal

Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal (Japanese: 草津温泉バスターミナル, Hepburn: Kusatsu Onsen Basu Tāminaru), or Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅, Kusatsu Onsen-eki), is a bus terminal located near Kusatsu Onsen in the town of Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It is managed by Kusatsu Bus Terminal Company in a joint venture between JR Bus and the Kusatsu municipal government. JR Bus, Seibu Bus, and Kusakaru Kotsu operate bus services at the terminal.

Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal 草津温泉バスターミナル
General information
Other names	Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅)
Location	Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture Japan
Coordinates	36.620833°N 138.596444°E / 36.620833; 138.596444
Operated by	Kusatsu Bus Terminal Co. Ltd.
Platforms	9 bus bays (2nd floor)
Other information
Website	Official website (in English)
History
Opened	11 December 1935 (1935-12-11)
Previous names	Joshu Kusatsu Station (上州草津駅)
Location Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal Location within Gunma Prefecture Show map of Gunma Prefecture Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal (Japan) Show map of Japan

History

From the Taishō era until World War II, many railway lines were constructed around Japan, though the country's acute topography led many bus routes to substitute train lines. The Joshu Kusatsu Line was one of many bus lines connecting Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station with Kusatsu Onsen, Yudanaka Station, Karuizawa Station, and Mount Kusatsu-Shirane.

The bus terminal was opened on 11 December 1935 as Joshu Kusatsu Station (上州草津駅, Jōshū Kusatsu-eki) with the commencement of bus service on the Joshu Kusara Line (上州草津線, Jōshū Kusatsu-sen) to Joshu Otsu Station (上州大津駅, Jōshū Ōtsu-eki) in Naganohara.^[1] The "Joshu" in the name was intended to avoid confusion with Kusatsu Station in Shiga Prefecture on the Tōkaidō Main Line.

The bus terminal was renamed to Kusatsu Onsen Station on 1 June 1962, following the closure of the Kusatsu Onsen train station.

Station layout

The MARS ticket office

The main concourse and gates (of which there are 9) are on the 2nd floor, along with a ticket office, internet terminals, vending machines, and a coffee and souvenir shop. There is a restaurant and tourist information desk on the 1st floor and a hot spring library on the 3rd floor.

There is a MARS ticket office operated by JR East, which sells railway tickets (including limited express tickets) for use at the nearby Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station, as well as tickets for the bus service that connects the Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal with Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station. The ticket office also sells tickets for Seibu Bus and Kusakaru Kotsu bus services.

Bus services

Buses in bus bays

Gate No.	Name	Intermediate stops	Terminal	Company	Note
1	Charter and express buses
2, 3, 4	Kusatsu Line	Joshu Otsu	Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi Station	JR Bus Kanto	Passengers with a valid Japan Rail Pass are able to ride for free.
5	Joshu Yumeguri expressway bus	Ikaho Onsen, Nerima Station, Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal	Tokyo Station	JR Bus
	Tokyo Yumeguri expressway bus
	Shibuya-Karuizawa/Kusatsu Line expressway bus	Futako-tamagawa Station	Shibuya Station	Ueda Bus, Tokyu Transsés, Keio Bus
	Yokohama/Shin-Yokohama - Karuizawa/Kusatsu Line expressway bus	Shin-Yokohama Station, Yokohama Station	Tama-plaza Station	Ueda Bus, Tokyu Bus, Sotetsu Bus
	Tamagawa-josui/Tachikawa Line expressway bus	Tamagawa-Jōsui Station	Tachikawa Station	Chikuma Bus
	Blue Liner Kusatsu Onsen expressway bus	Takasaki Station, Kawagoe Station	Ōmiya Station (Saitama)	Koei Kotsu
	Dts Line expressway bus	Yashio Station, Ōsaki Station	Bus Terminal Tokyo Yaesu	Dts creation	At Yashio Station, passengers are able to transfer onto Shirakobato (bound for Narita International Airport and operated by Tobu Bus Central), or Tsukuba (bound for Tsukuba Station and operated by Kantō Railway).
6	Shirane-kazan Line	Sesshōkawara	Shirane-kazan[2]	Kusakaru Kotsu, JR Bus Kanto	Suspended during winter. Passengers with a valid Japan Rail Pass are able to ride for free, with the exception of Kusakaru Kotsu-operated services.
	Express Bus	Shirane-kazan,[2] Shibu Toge	Nagano Station	Nagano Electric Railway	Suspended in winter.
	Asama Shirane-kazan Line	Manza-Kazawaguchi Station	Karuizawa Station	Seibu Kankō Bus
7	Karuizawa Sennoiri Kusatsu Line	Shirane-kazan,[2] Manzaonsen, Manza-Kazawaguchi Station, Onioshidashi-en	Karuizawa Station	Seibu Bus
	Express Kusakaru Line	Kita-Karuizawa Station		Kusakaru Kotsu
	Kusakaru Hospital Line	Nishi-Agatsuma Welfare Hospital			Bound for Kita-Karuizawa Station during winter.
	Asama Shirane-kazan Line	Manza-Kazawaguchi Station, Sennoiri		Seibu Kankō Bus
8, 9	Kusatsu Onsen town buses[3]	Circular route	Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal	JR Bus Kanto	Fares at a flat rate of 100 yen.[4]

Former train station

Kusatsu Onsen Station 草津温泉駅
A Kusatsu Electric Railway train
General information
Location	Kusatsu, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture Japan
Operated by	Kusakaru Electric Railway
Line(s)	Kusakaru Electric Railway Line
Connections	Bus stop
History
Opened	19 September 1926 (1926-09-19)
Closed	1 February 1962 (1962-02-01)
Location

The site of the former Kusatsu Onsen Station

Located approximately 400 m (0.25 mi) south of the current Kusatsu Onsen Bus Terminal, the original Kusatsu Onsen Station (草津温泉駅, Kusatsu Onsen-eki) was a train station on the Kusakaru Electric Railway Line that operated from 1926 through 1962. The site of the former station has since been turned into a park, with a monument dedicated to the station.^[5]